1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a monitoring apparatus and a monitoring method in which video data taken and outputted by a plurality of security imaging apparatuses is used for monitoring.
2. Description of the Related Art
Heretofore, a monitoring system is used in which a security camera is connected to a control unit via a network. In such a monitoring system, a security camera sends taken video data via a network to a monitoring apparatus that is a control unit. The monitoring apparatus analyzes the video data to detect the occurrence of irregularities, and outputs alarms. A monitoring person can monitor while he/she is confirming monitor video displayed on a monitor and the descriptions of the alarms outputted from the control unit.
In the monitoring system like this, in the case of monitoring a wide area such as an entire building, a plurality of security cameras are used. In this case, such a scheme is performed in which an area displayed on a single monitor is split into a plurality of areas and each of the pieces of video data taken by the plurality of the security cameras is displayed on the individual split areas. In the case in which the number of security cameras disposed is large, a problem arises that images taken by all the security cameras are displayed on a single monitor to increase the number of the split display areas, which causes the individual areas smaller. Smaller display areas cause a difficulty of finding irregularities on the screen, and the primary purpose of monitoring is not achieved.
On this account, in the case in which an alarm is generated, the display of the screen is switched so that the screen on which irregularities are found is automatically displayed on an entire single screen.
JP-A-2002-281488 (Patent Reference 1) discloses that an image with higher importance is displayed on a single screen among images obtained from a plurality of security cameras.